AT&T commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first transcontinental telephone call, which took place on January 25, 1915 and led up to the official opening of the original Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) and World’s Fair in San Francisco.
The historic call was initiated by Alexander Graham Bell (in New York) and included Theodore Vail, the president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (now AT&T) in Jekyll Island, Georgia, United States President Woodrow Wilson in the White House and Bell’s assistant Thomas Watson in San Francisco.
“America’s latest innovations were on full display at the World’s Fair in 1915, and the first transcontinental phone call was one of the most significant technologies shown,” said Dr. Anthea Hartig, Executive Director of the California Historical Society. “These exhibitions will celebrate PPIE, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to see these original phones and other artifacts from the World’s Fair that highlight the great innovation milestones and discover how our spirit of innovation has shaped the city’s past, present and future.”
